Deadly Shadows
by Lavender263
Summary: When an "accident" leaves Ari's only friend dead, she discovers she is capable of something she never thought she was; murder. She is suddenly offered a better life; a place in a loving family; and a home, by none other than the infamous Lucien Lachance.
1. Prologue: Innocence

Prologue

Innocence



_His footprints are lined with blood_

_His dagger thirsts for souls_

_The essence of a killer_

_He takes the young and old_

_Silence goes before him_

_And silence follows nigh_

_His footsteps never heard_

_You barely hear the sigh_

_As he aids death in taking_

_The lives of all his foes_

_His heart as black as ink_

_No mercy he shows_

_So beware this beautiful shadow_

_This dangerous enigma_

_In all his deadly splendor_

_In the darkness he stays hidden_



Arianna closed the book, sighing. She knew killing was wrong, but she couldn't help but fantasize. She was entranced by this poem. It wasn't the writing; it wasn't the structure or even its flow. It was the idea. An assassin. A beautiful shadow. Such an exciting life compared t the one she had.

Arianna stared out the window at the snow, which danced and swirled past her window. She longed to go outside, but Berwick forbade his female servants from doing so unless he ordered otherwise. Pity, really. She wanted so badly to go out into the streets of Skingrad and dance with the snow, but no, instead she was bound with a lifelong contract to Claudio Berwick to serve in his manor. She had to abide by his rules.

"Arianna, you've been staring out that window for half an hour. Go to sleep."

She turned away from the window to glance at Kitty, the maid, who shared a room with Arianna. They had both been given to Berwick as young children, their contracts written out by their parents. Essentially, they had been sold to Berwick, although slavery had been outlawed in Cyrodiil. It was only made legal by the contract.

"Please, go to sleep. It makes me nervous when you do that. It's like you can see something I can't. Like a ghost or something."

"I just like seeing what's going on outside since we rarely leave this manor." Laughed Arianna, much amused by Kitty's comment "Maybe I am seeing a ghost. It's coming for you next." She made ghost noises and walked towards Kitty.

Kitty squeaked and hid under the covers. "Stop it Arianna! You know how it scares me."

Arianna laughed. Kitty was like a sister to her. They were the best of friends, in fact, they were each other's only friends.

There were heavy footsteps fast approaching their door. Arianna dove under her covers and closed her eyes as the cook burst into the room.

"Silence girls! You do not want to disturb the master!" she barked "If you cannot be silent, you will wake up three hours earlier to help in the kitchen!"

Both were silent for a few minutes before Arianna spoke again.

"Kitty?"

But the only response was a slow, rhythmic breathing that told Arianna that she was asleep.

As she lay in the silence, Arianna grew restless, and sat up once again to stare out the window. As she did so, little intricate patterns began to form in the frost on the window. Magic, she knew. She had discovered it eleven years ago when she was nine. She'd had no lessons in it, she was completely self-taught. A little from experimentation, a little from books.

That was another thing, she knew how to read. Berwick forbade his servants from reading, but she couldn't help it. Books were her only escape from her otherwise hard life. All the time she wasn't asleep or slaving away for her drunken pig of a master, she was reading. Especially the poem about the assassin. She had it memorized.

The little patterns curled and crept across the glass as she drew them with her mind until there was no room left. Arianna sighed, and laid her head down, not wanting to fall asleep, knowing that she would eventually have to wake up to face another day.

____

Author's note: Yeah, I know, it's a bit of a weak opener, but I'm not good at beginnings. Conclusions are my strong point. ;) Introducing characters is always hard for me. And the poetry you'll find throughout the story is all written by me, some of it influenced by Loreena McKennitt's music. It's bad, I know, but just bear with me.

But anyway, I'm writing this;

First of all, because I hate the ending of the DB quest (wow, I pretty much just told you what's going to happen in my story) ;)

Secondly, because I feel that in most of the fanfic about the DB and Lucien Lachance is a little too soft. Lucien is a harsh character, but you can't help but fall in love with him. I'm not sure he would fall for someone that easily though… (But who doesn't love him?! He's so lovely, I mean, c'mon!)

(PS, if somebody has a mod that changes the end of the DB quest, please let me download it!! The ending always makes me cry, and I've done the quest over and over as if it will change one of the times.)

Ok, wow this is long, I'd better stop writing now before this becomes longer than the chapter itself. ;)

More coming soon! (Reviews are appreciated…)


	2. Chapter 1: Suffer in Silence

Chapter 1

Strained Will

Arianna straightened up from bending over the fireplace. Her back hurt, and she was covered in soot. As she rose to her feet, she placed her hand on the mantle and hauled herself upwards…

She hesitated. Wasn't her hand covered in…

_Oh no. Please no. I just cleaned that!_

As she lifted her hand she saw her black handprint against the pale mantle.

Soot took forever to scrub off of the pale granite. The surface was rough, unpolished, so dirt, dust, and anything else would wedge itself down in the crevices and refuse to budge. So much for supper. She had to work fast, because if Berwick saw this, he would certainly punish her.

His punishments usually ranged from verbal abuse to beatings. Since he practically owned them, he could do as he pleased. There was no way the guards would interfere in his business, and the Captain of the Skingrad guard from time to time would receive a rather large… "gift" in order for him to 'not see' the many petty crimes Berwick committed. Unruly behavior, starting fights, and occasionally theft.

Although her master was abusive, Arianna did not complain. There was really nothing she could do. She was bound for life; he could do with her as he pleased. Her silence was part of the reason Berwick had allowed her to live this long.

As Arianna ran to the kitchen, she wiped the soot off on her apron. It left a black smear across the fabric, but she paid no mind. Her clothes were already stained from all the work she did. As she burst through the wooden door, she narrowly missed colliding with Kitty.

"Hey! Ari! Watch out!"

Kitty was the only one who called her that, except when she was demanding something of her. To everyone else, she was 'girl'.

"Sorry! I got soot on the mantle; I need to get it off before Berwick comes home."

Kitty regained her balance and stepped sideways. "Then you had better get a move on. He'll be home any time now."

Arianna raced down the winding stairs, and tripped lightly into the kitchen. The cook barely saw her coming, she was in so fast and out again with a wet dishcloth gripped in her hand.

"Stupid girl! I need that!"

Arianna, however, was to the top of the stairwell before the cook had time for any other sort of reaction. Her feet carried her lightly across the floor and back to the fireplace, where she immediately began to scrub furiously. Most of the black stain came up, but the rest remained, a stubborn reminder that she would be in trouble.

The front door opened. She heard Berwick's voice yelling for Kitty.

Arianna scrubbed harder. She had to get it off.

_Please come off! Only heaven knows what he'll do!_

She took one last look at it right before Berwick burst into the room. The rather large Nord paused for a moment. For once, he was pretty sober.

"I thought I told ya to be outta sight when I came home. Go away girl, I'll punish ya later."

She gripped the cloth in her hand tightly and walked towards the door. Maybe he wouldn't see it…

She heard the shout as she stepped out the hall door.

_God help me._ She thought, squeezing her eyes shut. Here it came.

"Girl… Get back in here."

She slowly turned and went back inside, head bent downwards.

_I could run. I'm faster than he._

_But I must not._

_I could fight. Maybe, just maybe…_

_No. I must remain obedient._

She glanced up for a fleeting moment and saw his dark angry eyes as he glared at her.

"Did you do this?"

She muttered "Yes."

"Speak up girl!"

"Yes sir! I did. I'll clean it up now."

"Oh, you'll do more than clean it." He took a few steps over to where she stood. By the fact that he could walk in a straight line told her he was sober. At least she had that on her side.

He stood right in front of her. "Why are ya s'damn stupid?! Didja just not think?! You're here to clean, not make messes."

"I'm sorry sir."

"SORRY DOESN'T FIX IT!" he seized her by the shoulders and shook her violently. He shoved her backwards, hard.

She tasted blood as she bit her tongue. Part of her wanted to fight back, but she knew she shouldn't. She must suffer in silence.

_I must bear it._

"What value do ya have anyway? You're WORTHLESS! I could kill ya and nobody would care!"

He struck her across the face. Her cheek stung and burned with pain, but she did not cry. She did not even flinch.

Frustrated at her lack of reaction, he threw her easily to ground.

"YOU'LL CLEAN IT!" He roared. "YOU'LL CLEAN IT, AND YA WON'T GET ANY FOOD TODAY OR TOMORROW! YOU'LL CLEAN THE ENTIRE HOUSE BY YOURSELF!"

And saying that, he stormed out of the room, leaving Arianna sitting on the floor.

_I must bear it._

She climbed wearily to her feet and once again began to scrub.

_I must bear it._



When Arianna finally finished, she returned to her room only to find Kitty not there. She prepared herself for bed, and sat up to wait for her. Berwick was worse to Kitty than he was to Arianna. He harassed her, sometimes in very inappropriate ways. As much as Arianna feared the idea, she wished it was her instead of Kitty who had to deal with the torment. Kitty was a sister to her, and when she was hurt, Arianna was hurt too.

Arianna opened up the book she was reading. _The Art of War Magic. _She hoped that by reading it, she could improve her use of magic for things that were actually useful.

The door creaked open, and Arianna looked up. There stood Kitty, very frazzled. Her hair was a mess, her clothes were torn, and she was covered in bruises.

"Ari, I…" and Kitty broke down crying. Arianna ran to her, guiding her to sit on her bed and stroked her hair.

"Kitty, what did he do to you?" She asked, her stomach twisting. But she already full well knew.

"Oh Ari, he… well, I don't know how to explain… it happened so fast, he was so angry…" she broke back down into sobs.

Arianna pulled her close as Kitty sobbed into her shoulder. Seeing her friend like this was almost too much to bear.

"Kitty, he won't come in here. You're safe for now. He won't touch you. Kitty, I'm so sorry, I'm afraid I'm the one who made him angry…" her stomach twisted tighter and tighter, guilt flooding her soul.

They sat there for a while until Kitty finally cried herself dry, at which point Arianna laid her down on the bed and covered her with the covers. Kitty was asleep within seconds.

As she turned back to her bed, she threw one last glance at the poor wretched girl. She had it rough. Serving Berwick had aged both of them beyond their years. Arianna was twenty, Kitty nineteen. But they had both been put through things by Berwick that the average forty-year-old had not encountered in their lifetime.

She did not sleep that night. She once again sat, staring out the window. She could not cry though. She just sat there, looking out at the empty street.

_I must bear it._

_I must bear it._

She looked at Kitty, sleeping. Though bruised and worn, she looked peaceful in sleep. She thought of Berwick, how cruel he was to Kitty and wished desperately it was her in Kitty's stead.

_Or should I?_


	3. Chapter 2: The Break

**Hey y'all, Lavender here. I really want to thank those of you who wrote reviews for my story! Love y'all!! Anyway, sorry about my story being so gloomy so far, I'll try to make it a tad less so when the time is right… ;)**

Arianna's hands were filthy, covered in soil and plant matter, but she didn't care. At least she was outside. Even if it was just in the high-walled garden behind the house. The sun felt good against her pale skin. It shone off her long amber hair, which she now wore loose. The small breeze caressed her face and ruffled the leaves of the trees and hedges. She loved it.

"Ari? Where are you?"

"In the hedges by the fountain Kitty!"

Arianna heard footsteps approaching and Kitty dashed behind the tall hedges, out of sight of the house.

"Do you need something?" asked Arianna. Her eyes were on Kitty, but her hands remained busy pulling weeds.

"No, I just wanted to get out of there for awhile. Cook's on a freaking rampage and the Master will be home soon. I wanted to unwind out here where no one can see me before I have to face him."

Arianna's gut wrenched. They both full well knew that tonight he was going to be stoned. More than usual. He had been out all morning, and it was getting late. That always meant he was at taverns, drinking more than the average person should.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay? I don't like the idea of it. You're still not completely healed up from two weeks ago."

On Kitty's arms were still the painful reminders of the bruises he had given her that night. Though she was almost healed physically, she still suffered emotionally from it. Occasionally she would cry about it. It angered Arianna how he treated her, but she didn't know anything she could do about it. She was powerless, and she wasn't sure if she even had the courage to do anything at all.

"Oh, Ari." She pronounced it like 'Ah-reee.' It drove Arianna insane when she did that, which is exactly why she did it. "Forget that. These things happen when you have a life like ours. It could be worse. We could be beggars."

"Actually… I would like a beggar's life much better than this one. Freedom's more valuable than a roof over my head. Even if it means living like a rat. Besides, you actually have a chance to live and to create a better life for yourself. Unlike us, who are stuck here for all eternity."

"Suit yourself." Smiled Kitty "I'm getting used to this life, I think I can bear it. Now shut up, Cook is coming this way."

Arianna turned abruptly back to the weeding as the footsteps approached. Kitty jumped back into a hedge so that she could hardly be seen.

The red-faced woman came bustling out from behind the bushes, her hair wild, wooden spoon gripped in one hand. "Have you seen that damn girl? I sent her upstairs to do laundry and she never came back. I thought she might have come out here."

"No ma'am, I haven't seen her all afternoon."

"Well if you see her, tell her that when I find her I will tan her sorry hide to make a new pair of shoes." And Cook stomped off back to the kitchen.

Arianna closed her eyes and grinned, waiting, waiting…

She heard the door close behind Cook.

_3, 2, 1…_

"YEEEOW!!!" howled Kitty, jumping out of the bushes.

Arianna laughed. Kitty had jumped right into the spot in the hedge where a rosebush took up residence. It started on the other side, but had wound its way through the hedge.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT THE THORNS?!" Kitty wailed in a very self-pitying manner.

"I didn't have time! Now keep your voice down! You heard Cook's say what she would do with you!"

Dozens of tiny pricks of blood covered Kitty's arms and back of her neck. She wiped them off, very much annoyed at her own carelessness.

Arianna sighed. "You'd better get inside."

"Why should I?"

"Because you must! It's as simple as that!"

Kitty rolled her eyes and turned to go inside via the other door. "You know Ari, have you ever considered that maybe there is a choice other than to obey for our entire lives?"

To that question, Arianna had no answer, and simply sat in the dirt and dead weeds watching Kitty leave.

The loud bang of the door told Arianna the Berwick was back. She was in the corridor going between the kitchen and the dining room, but she heard everything.

"Would you like me to help you upstairs sir?" Kitty's polite voice came, muffled by the door.

She couldn't make out what Berwick said, it was slurred together. It sounded harsh though, and she heard Kitty take in her breath sharply before saying "Yes sir."

Then came a crash. Arianna jumped up, her feet moving of their own accord. She didn't care. All that mattered now was Kitty.

_What am I doing? Normally I wouldn't dare burst in on him like this!_

_Who cares? Kitty may be in trouble!_

When Arianna entered the room, she saw Kitty standing by Berwick, frozen, face pale. She wasn't hurt, thank Akatosh for that. Berwick was swaying on his feet, one hand around Kitty's wrist. He had only broken a vase, but Arianna feared he would do more than that.

His brow furrowed when he saw Arianna. Dropping Kitty's arm, he started towards her.

"Damn gurrrl. Yerr 'sposed to be outta sight! I'll teach yooo…"

He seized her by one arm and jerked roughly. Arianna gasped in pain and she swore she felt her shoulder come out of the socket a little ways. Even with the handicap of being completely drunk, he was a Nord, and a big one at that. His strength was far greater than any she had in her.

"Arianna!" Kitty cried as Berwick dragged a struggling Arianna across the room. She couldn't get twisted around to effectively hit him without searing pain burning through her arm and back. He only released her when he shoved her into a wine storage room. She bounded forward, in a vain attempt to get past him, but was met by his fist. He punched her in the jaw, not enough to break it, but enough to send her falling backwards, stunned.

"Don't hurt her!" Kitty cried, frantic. She picked up a book and threw it at Berwick. It struck him upside the head, but with no effect other than angering him.

Arianna was on her feet again, but he had locked the door. She could only see through the small window set up in the door.

Berwick once again grabbed Kitty and dragged her up the stairs, the whole time cursing. Arianna heard the upstairs door slam behind him.

She beat against the door, screaming, until her fists hurt. They were even bleeding from the abuse. At that point, she searched frantically for something… anything… that she could pry the door open with.

Suddenly, she stopped her futile search.

_Maybe…_

She glanced at the lock. It didn't look to hard to open with the right tools.

_Or magic._

She squeezed her eyes shut. _Akatosh, Azura, or whoever is listening! Help me now, your servant in my time of need!_

Pressing her hand against the lock, she pulled together every scrap of magic she had and focused it on the lock.

_Please_

_Please_

Magic flowed through her fingers, pulsing through her veins. The metal warmed, she felt the mechanisms inside the lock moving.

_YES!_

Arianna slammed her weight against the door, but it would not budge. She jumped to look out the window, and much to her dismay, he had blocked it with a chair.

There were shouts coming from upstairs.

"Hold on Kitty!" Arianna screamed, frantic.

Searching wildly, she felt along every crevice in the room to find something she could use. All she found was the kegs and the stone wall.

_Wait a minute._

One of the stones felt different. Several of them did. She traced it quickly with her fingers until…

There was a knob on it! A door!

She turned it, and it came open with no resistance. In the dim light she could see a black passageway ahead, flooded with darkness, but she paid no mind. Darkness was more comfortable to her than light. She wasted no time rushing forward.

As Arianna hurtled through the black, she only tripped a few times. In her frantic state, she was surprisingly agile. If her foot hit a stone, she simply altered her stride and continued forward at the same pace. Where this passage went, she had no idea. But she followed it anyway one hand touching the wall so that she wouldn't run into anything.

Eventually, after what seemed like hours of running full speed through the dark, she came upon some light. The room ahead was familiar…

The cellar!

This complex passage led right to the cellar?

_I'll figure it out later, when Kitty's safe. _She thought as she weaved her way around enormous kegs and supplies. _If we both live through this, I'm taking her far away from here. Forget any contracts, we're leaving._

Arianna threw the door open and bounded up the winding stairs into the kitchen. She soon found herself in the front hall, where she froze in her tracks. The front door was wide open. Blood was smeared on the handle, and there were footprints on the floor, spotted with the crimson liquid.

The house was completely silent.

Arianna raced up the stairs.

_Please, Kitty, hold on a few seconds!_

She burst through the door to the master bedroom and-

Her blood ran cold.

As her eyes adjusted to the light, a horrific scene exposed itself right before her.

The room was in shambles, obviously there had been a struggle. One window was broken, the one looking over the back garden. Blood covered the windowsill and the rug in front of it. She looked frenetically around the room for Kitty.

"Kitty? Kitty!" she called

Neither Berwick nor Kitty was in the room.

He must have been the one who ran out the door. But why would he be in such a hurry? And where is Kitty?

She felt the cold breeze on her back, and her eyes fell back to the blood on the windowsill, the broken window.

_No. NO!_

She flew to the window and looked down at the garden. She couldn't see well through the dark of the night, but she could make out one thing; a motionless figure lying beneath the window.

It only took a matter of seconds for Arianna to dash out to the garden. She'd never moved so fast in all her life.

Sure enough, there was somebody there. Sprawled across the fountain, blood tainting the water.

"Kitty?"

As she neared, she saw it all. She was bloody and covered with numerous gashes. One arm hung at an odd angle, and her neck twisted, probably broken. The worst of all was the face, look of terror still frozen, eyes wide, mouth hanging open.

"Kitty!"

In an instant she was at her friend's side.

_No, she can't be dead! Not Kitty!_

She listened for a heartbeat, a pulse, anything to indicate her friend was still hanging on.

Nothing.

All she heard was the sound of death;

Silence.

Something happened to her in that moment as she stood up.

Something had snapped within her. Something that had been building up.

She did not cry. She was empty. She felt nothing.

It was in that instant her heart turned black.

"You were right Kitty."

Arianna kneeled down beside Kitty's mangled body.

"To obey all our lives can only lead to one thing."

She pressed her hand against Kitty's face.

"We do have a choice."

Her fingers lightly brushed Kitty's brown eyes closed.

"No more shall I suffer in silence."

Her eyes narrowed as she stood up.

"It is my turn. Vengeance will be sweet. Farewell, sweet Kitty. Maybe we will meet again."

And turning on her heels, she climbed the rock wall and disappeared into the darkness once again.

_Beware this beautiful shadow_

_This dangerous enigma_

_In all his deadly splendor_

_In the darkness he stays hidden_

**A/N: Wow, I thought I'd never finish that. ;) Sorry for making this so dark. (But after all, it is about an assassin.)**

**But you obviously weren't coming here for something happy and uplifting if you clicked on something called "Deadly Shadows." So it's your fault. Nah nah nah nah nah.**

**Lol jk, anyways, please review my story! I would love to hear your feedback, both positive and negative!**

**And it may be a while before I update, my life is kinda chaotic right now :P**

**But I am about to start a new story. One that isn't quite as… depressing.**


	4. Chapter 3: Westward Bound

**Woo hoo!! Chapter 3!! Time for revenge!**

**I can't wait much longer….**

**_________________**

Arianna never imagined the world to be how it really was. All she'd ever seen of it was glimpses through the window of the street. Her impression of Cyrodiil was that it was crowded and small. Now, as she wandered through the wilderness along the road outside of Skingrad, she marveled at how big and beautiful it was.

Two weeks had passed since Kitty's death. She had been given a simple grave out behind the chapel. No questions were asked about her death, everyone assumed that she had simply fallen.

Arianna had stayed in town for a while, gathering bits of information that might lead her where Berwick went. The bartender, Erina, at the West Weald Inn said that he had come in, very much in a hurry, and had purchased food and wine.

"Hardly could understand what he was saying, he had drunk so much here earlier that night. All I could make out was that he was going west and needed provisions for his trip. Sorry I couldn't be more specific."

"Oh, you've told me all that I really need to know." Arianna had said, smiling innocently.

"Say, what business do you have with him? It's not every day a lil' thing like you goes chasing after the likes of him."

"He… owes me something." She said "Let's say… something of a very large sum."

"Ahhh." Said Erina with a wink "No wonder he was in such a rush. Cheapskate. Hope ya catch him."

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I will."

_The smell of blood on somebody's hands never goes away, now does it?_

Now here she was on the Gold Road, wandering west.

"But why did he run away?" asked Arianna out loud, kicking a stone. He had nothing that he was aware of to be afraid of! Was he running from her? No, he didn't fear her?

Was he running from somebody else?

Arianna heard hoofbeats up ahead and jerked her head up to see an Imperial Guard riding slowly towards her. The bay horse's head bobbed lazily as it plodded forward. It almost looked as if it would fall asleep and fall forward.

"Excuse me!" she cried. The guard jolted in his seat, startled by her shout, and his horse jerked its head up.

"Yes miss? Do you need some sort of assistance?

"Ah, yes, I need directions. Which cities lie to the west? And which one is the closest?"

He laughed. "By the Nine! How is it that a citizen of Cyrodiil can survive this long without knowing the geography of her own land!?"

"I haven't really been traveling before. Most of my life has been spent in the city."

"Anvil and Kvatch lie to the west, just keep following the Gold Road, and you'll come to Kvatch first. Follow it further if you want to get to Anvil. Good luck with your travels."

"Thank you." And she moved along quickly, not wanting to waste any time.

Though she was happy to be outside, it was a little frightening to be on her own. She was unarmed, and she knew nothing about combat. If something crept up on her, magic was her only hope. However, she did not know the extent of her magic, so she would have to be careful so that she wouldn't kill herself by using too much and draining her strength.

It wasn't long before the golden sun started to sink slowly down over the horizon and the moons began to show. She pondered whether to stop somewhere or not.

She didn't have much of a choice, for she discovered that there was no inn between Skingrad and Kvatch.

_CRACK_

The sound made her nearly jump out of her skin. As she paused, she heard voices. To her left was a large boulder, which was where they seemed to be coming from.

Arianna couldn't make out what they were saying, but they sounded like Kajiit voices. She crept around the side of the rock, careful not to make a sound, until she could see them.

There were two Kajiit, a male and a female, sitting next to a fire. Something glittered in the dirt before them, reflecting the firelight with a yellow hue as they counted it.

_Gold!_

But where had they gotten it? Why were they all the way out here?

_They must be highwaymen. _She reasoned.

Never taking her eyes off them, she reached her hand down and felt for something she could throw to see their reaction.

She felt something bulky and picked it up without further investigation. She was readying herself to throw it, when suddenly it squealed, and she realized it was also very furry.

Arianna let out a shriek as the rat tried to bite her, and flung it straight into the middle of the encampment. It landed right in the lap of the female Kajiit, who jumped up immediately, both startled by Arianna's cry and the flying rodent.

_Oops._

She had given away her position. As they pulled their weapons out, a sword for the male and a bow for the female, Arianna racked her mind.

There had to be something. Anything.

She couldn't cast a destruction spell, she really only knew Alteration and Illusion magic.

Didn't that mages guild book Berwick had have some sort of chameleon spell?

She tried to cast it, but to no avail. The male was slowly advancing on her, and the female crept to the side behind him, cautious and ready to spring at the slightest sound.

_Akatosh, help me!! _She prayed silently.

Nothing.

_Dibella, Arkay, someone!!!_

Still nothing.

Maybe the Deadra favored her.

_Malacath, Azura, Namira…??_

Who was that god? The one she'd read about in that story? Might he be real?

The male Kajiit rounded the corner of the boulder, sword held, poised, ready to strike-

_Sithis!_

She braced herself for the blow, squeezing her eyes shut and holding her hands over her head.

But it never came.

There was a pause that seemed like forever.

"What is it?" she finally heard the raspy voice of the female.

"I don't know. There's nothing here. Whatever or whoever it was got away."

The Kajiit woman coughed a laugh. "If it were somebody, we would have heard them run away. But we should stay on our toes, just in case."

Arianna looked up to see the male sheath his sword and turn back to the fire.

_They didn't see me???? Am I…??_

She looked down at her hands. To her utter astonishment, they were not there. Not a trace.

She had not only managed to make the magic work, she had turned herself _100% invisible. _It was a little disorienting really, feeling her hand touch the stone but not seeing it.

Did Sithis favor her, and help her find this powerful magic inside her? Or had she done it herself through pure luck?

_Might as well use this to my advantage before the spell runs out…_

She turned silently to leave, but hesitated. Those weapons the Kajiit had would be very useful should she have this happen again and she wasn't so lucky.

She turned on her heels back to the camp, and crept noiselessly forward. The Kajiit were within 5 feet of her…

It was dangerous, but she was willing to risk it.

Reaching out, Arianna touched the male's shortsword. He didn't even notice as she slowly undid the buckles that held it to his belt. She was an expert in carefully moving things without creating disturbance, Berwick had many small valuables in his house…

"Hey! Your sword!"

That was it. The female had seen the sword lifting itself away from its master.

At her shout, Arianna's concentration broke, and she shimmered back into view. Now that they knew she was there, she was going to need every ounce of magic to fight with, that is, if she could figure it out in the time it took one of Kajiit lady's arrows to drive into her skull.

At least now she had a sword, and she swiped clumsily at the male, who was closest. He laughed and bent down, drawing a flaming log out of the fire.

"You foolish Imperial. We'll teach you to steal from us!"

She flew at him, ignoring the pain from the red-hot log that burned her arm, which she was using as a shield against attack. She was completely focused, her target clear. It was like a dance, and she let her feet guide her, keeping him in between her and the female, who had an arrow notched, ready to fire.

To Arianna's ultimate surprise, he soon lay at her feet, bleeding out on the ground from a wound in his abdomen. She leapt forward and struck down the female easily with one less-than-graceful blow, as all she had to protect herself was a steel bow.

As the two Kajiit lay dead at her feet, she realized what she had just done. Though her swordplay was sloppy, she had killed two bandits, experienced (at least more than her) fighters, in less than a minute.

Two lives. She had taken two lives.

She searched her soul for any remorse she might have, afraid of what she would find.

Nothing.

No remorse, no regret.

And it scared her.

But at the same time, she couldn't suppress the wicked grin that spread across her normally innocent-looking face

If she had no problem killing two individuals whose only crimes were petty theft and highway robbery, then she would have no trouble at all killing someone whose crime was murder.

Her heart was racing in anticipation. But now she couldn't think about that, she had to gather supplies and rest. She stooped to pick up the gold and counted out 97 pieces. It would be enough for now.

There were several chests scattered about the camp, which she began to rummage through to see if there was anything of interest.

The first one held only clothes. Robes, dresses, and cloaks. She took a pair of leather shoes, lack gloves, a red velvet dress, and a dark green robe, but then a black robe caught her eye. If she wanted to be more camouflaged at night, this was perfect.

She quickly looked around to make sure the coast was clear before she pulled her tattered dress over her head and slipped into the black robe. It fit her well, resting snugly against her muscular frame.

Arianna folded the rest of the clothes, including her old dress, tightly and tucked them into her leather bag as she moved on to the next chest. It contained bundles of fur, which she soon discovered was armor. It would hardly shield her from attack, and it was bulky. As she dug through, her fingers hit something metal.

"Hellooooo, what have we here?"

She lifted it out carefully. It was chainmail of some sort, pale silver with gold trimmings all across it. It was pretty, and she laid it out on the ground to get a better look at it.

It felt very light and flexible, but as she touched the tiny rings it seemed very solid and durable, and she guessed it could take a blow well.

She fished the rest of it out, which actually was just greaves and boots. However, it was all she really needed. She figured that she could wear it under the robe so that she would be camouflaged and protected.

The last chest contained smaller items, including some steel arrows, two healing potions, a small soul gem, and a watermelon rind. Of course, she took everything but the rind, putting it all in her bag. It was bulging out now, but could probably still hold a few more things.

Arianna walked to the largest tent, prying the steel bow from the female Kajiit's hand as she walked past. Once she was inside, she laid down her supplies and kicked the bedroll that was in the tent to the side. It was probably infested with bugs or disease. Instead, she reached into her bag and drew out a blanket which she had swiped from an inn in Skingrad.

She laid down on the blanket, bag at her feet, her new sword in her hand, ready to use if somebody should discover her.

_Tomorrow, I will not stop until I have reached Kvatch. If he's not there, then he will be in Anvil._

This was a pretty reasonable guess, as Berwick tended to hate wilderness. He usually stuck to cities, where there was plenty of alcohol.

She drifted in and out of sleep, barely touching on unconsciousness, but each time getting closer and closer.

Right as she was finally slipping off into subconscious, she swore she saw a large black shadow pass the outside of the tent.

**A/N: Don't worry, I will get to the part y'all have all been waiting for. I will be posting the next chapter very soon, because I cut most of it off the end of this one because this one was getting too long. Thanks for reading!! Please review (I live off of them)!!!**


	5. Chapter 4: Almost There

**Sorry about any spelling errors that there may be, as one of the reviews pointed out, (my computer's keyboard acts up sometimes) and I usually catch mistakes, but this one slipped by I guess, I was so eager to finally post this! Thanks for pointing that out, I will fix it ASAP. (If there is any typo like that again please let me know.) ;)**

**And a quick note about this chapter: just a heads up, I have set this story BEFORE the Oblivion Crisis (for various reasons). So Kvatch is not a fiery mess where everyone just stands around staring at the rubble that never does seem to get cleaned up or rebuilt until you download the mod. Just so there's no confusion about that. ;)**

**__________**

Something was brushing against Arianna's face. Something soft and warm, kind of fuzzy. She giggled sleepily as it tickled her face, never opening her eyes, and reached her hand up to push it away.

Suddenly whatever it was bit her nose. Her eyes flew open just in time to see a big pink tongue shoot out of the creature's mouth and swipe across her face, leaving a layer of saliva.

"Yaaaaaaaah!!" she yelled, and jumped up, drawing the sword. She was very much awake now.

The animal squealed and jumped back, jerking its head out of the tent. Arianna leapt to the tent entrance and wiped the sleepy haze form her eyes…

Outside stood a black horse, eyes wide with surprise, ears cocked, and head held high. It just stood there, looking at her curiously, as if deciding whether he should from this strange, jumpy person.

Arianna wiped the horse slobber from her face with the sleeve of the black robe and stared quizzically at the horse.

"Well what are you staring at?" she asked the horse

The horse, in reply, stretched its nose towards her and shoved her arm with it, nibbling at her robe.

"What, are you hungry?"

Arianna must smell like food, since the blanket she slept on had been in her bag with a few apples she had picked out of an orchard near the road.

The horse stared insistently at her. She didn't have much in the way of food, and what she did have she needed to keep for herself.

Ignoring the horse, she looked upwards. The sun was starting to rise, and textured clouds filled the sky. It was absolutely gorgeous, and she wished she could keep the image of it forever.

_How can I have been missing this all my life?? _

After tearing herself away from the scene, Arianna went back inside the tent and gathered her things, shoving the blanket carelessly into her bag. As her arm rubbed against the quiver full of arrows, pain shot up it as if the skin was being peeled off.

Crying out, she jerked it back.

_Oh yeah, I burned it._

She yanked her sleeve back. The burn from last night's struggle was still there. It wasn't terrible, she hadn't touched the flaming brand for very long, but the skin was blistered and red. She quickly tore off part of the lower part of her old dress and wrapped it carefully around her wrist, making sure to tie it tightly, but no so that it would turn her hand purple.

As she gathered her things, she turned back to the tent entrance and almost collided with the black horse's head. With one hand she shoved his face away.

"I have nothing for you! Now go back to whoever owns you!"

At saying that, Arianna wondered if this horse even had a home. Its ribs stuck out and its coat was matted, but there was a rope halter on its head. The halter was tight, and looked as if it was causing the horse discomfort.

Arianna frowned and reached forward to untie the halter. The knot that held it in place would not budge, it held firmly. She picked up her sword, holding it gingerly close to the tip, and gently cut it off. She did not know much about horses, but she did know that if something like this stayed on the horse it could become snagged and potentially kill itself.

As the halter fell to the ground, the horse shook out its mane and nickered.

"Okay, I got it off, now leave me be." She eased around the horse and walked away from the encampment, being careful not to step on the bodies of the two Kajiit she'd killed.

She supposed it didn't count as murder since it was in self-defense and they had attacked her first.

As she headed back towards the road, she looked back at the horse, who stood alone, staring at her. It was really getting creepy how he would just stare like that. Quickly, she snapped her head back around and marched on.

About five minutes down the road, something soft poked into her back. She whirled, sword drawn, ready to strike, just to see that horse standing behind her. He whinnied expectantly.

"I told you, we're not meant for each other. I mean, I'm me, and you're… a horse. It just can't work."

The horse was not fazed by this at all and kept staring expectantly at her.

"What, are you expecting me to stand on my head?" and then Arianna realized what she was doing. "Oh, great. I'm talking to a horse. I'm going crazy. And now I'm talking to myself!"

She glared at the horse. "This is your fault, you know."

He just stared at her and nuzzled at her bag in response.

Her heart grew a little less hard for a moment as she sighed in exasperation. "Fine, you can have ONE apple. This is my only food; I can't afford to give you much." And she reached her hand in the bag and drew out a shiny red apple.

The horse took the entire thing in its mouth and stood there chomping on it. Arianna decided it was a good time to get away and turned to leave, running in the other direction. Not five seconds later, the horse trotted up behind her and walked along beside her.

"Listen buddy, there's only one person going on this little mission. Me. You need to go home." She informed the horse, not stopping. It still walked energetically along beside her.

Her eyes scanned over the horse again. The dirty, gaunt, homeless horse. "Did you run away from home too?" she asked softly

She almost started to speak again, but a crack of thunder interrupted her before the words formed themselves. Looking up at the sky, Arianna saw dark, menacing looking clouds gathering.

"On second thought," she said looking back at the horse "Maybe you can be of use to me."

Arianna had absolutely no horse experience, and had only ever seen them from her window and read about them, but she still hauled herself onto the horse's bare back. It danced a little to the side, surprised by her change in attitude towards him.

Clinging to his mane, she nudged him gently with her heels. He sprung forward, almost flinging her off, into a smooth trot. It was a little nerve-racking for her, and she had no idea how to steer, but she kept calm. Her hand tangled into his mane, holding on for dear life.

_Hey, at least it's better than walking and getting soaked._

He followed the road for the most part, but sometimes he would veer off to eat a flower or two. It did not take her long to discover that if she pressed her knee into his shoulder, he would usually move to the side. She fell off a couple of times, but got right back up as he stood obediently for her.

In about an hour's ride, she reached Kvatch. The horse zigzagged up the steep hill, never changing pace, and on the last turn he executed a perfect sharp turn. However, Arianna did not and went flying off.

As she sat in the grass, she rubbed her back and glared at the horse.

"Stupid showoff of a horse." She muttered, getting up and walking towards the gate to the city. The horse plodded quietly along behind her.

A Dunmer woman approached her as she reached for the gate handle. "Sorry miss, but it's against the law to take a horse inside unless you're one of the guards."

Arianna stared back at the horse, who dropped his head and lazily began to munch on the grass.

"So what do I do with him?"

"We have a stable right outside the city. We can board him for you, but…" the Dunmer hesitated. "There is a fee."

Arianna sighed and reached into her bag. "Alright, how much?"

"Ten gold pieces. We will take care of you horse as long as you require. In fact, we will even put shoes on your horse." She said, casting a glance at the horse's shoeless feet.

So THAT'S why it could move so silently, while with other horses she had passed it was 'CLOP CLOP CLOP CLIPPITY CLOP'.

"Actually," said Arianna "I like having my horse barefoot. Easier to get around, y'know?"

"Then we can just trim them."

"Fine." Arianna dropped the gold into the Dunmer's hand. "But he better be here when I get back, or heads will roll." She laughed over her shoulder as she stepped into the city. Ha, who knew, maybe she was actually serious.

Kvatch was a much nicer city than Skingrad. It was more open, and there was more foliage growing wherever there wasn't a building.

As she stood gazing up at the swaying trees, a guard approached her.

"Looking for anything miss?"

"Yes, where are the inns?"

"Well, there's only one. It's behind the chapel and across the street."

Arianna turned to walk away and smiled back at the guard. "Thank you!" she called.

The chapel was very much like the one in Skingrad, she noticed as she walked around it. It wasn't hard to find the inn, she didn't even have to look at the sign. She just heard loud voices coming from within and walked right in.

The interior was dim, but the place was cozy-feeling. Everything about Kvatch seemed to be better than Skingrad!

Arianna approached the bar, and the bartender walked over to where she was.

"What would ya like miss?" he asked, leaning on one arm.

"Help finding someone." She replied smoothly "Has a man named Berwick, first name Claudio-"

"Nord? Brutish louse?" he finished her sentence "Yeah, he came through 'bout two days ago. Created quite a stir. Got drunk and started harassing one of my barmaids. Me and the other guys threw him out."

"So do you have any idea at all where he is now?"

"All he said was something about going west. Going to Anvil I presume. Why? He do anything?"

Arianna smiled darkly. "We have a debt to settle."

"Well, good luck. He's strong though, so be careful."

"Thanks." She bounded out the door and out into the street.

She moved quickly towards the gate, wanting to get a move on towards Anvil, but she was distracted a moment as she passed the chapel doors.

She had only ever seen the outside of the chapel in Skingrad, she had never been inside. Curiosity ate at her, and after a moment of internal conflict, she gave in to the impulse and walked towards the door.

As she stepped into the dark interior her eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim blue glow of the room. The first thing she noticed was the windows. The tinted glass cast beautiful spots of colored light onto the floor. Each Divine was depicted in their own separate window, Akatosh standing at the head of them.

Arianna walked down the carpeted isle, entranced by the beauty of the stone chapel. How a building that was so sturdy and solid could be such a work of delicate art escaped her.

A deity that resided in a place like this must have answers for her.

As she touched the alter, she froze for a moment. Then, looking up at Akatosh's image, she asked the panes of colored glass "Is there a reason you're doing all this to me? What plan do you have in store for me?"

But her only answer was her own echo. No one was in the chapel, only her. Even the beautiful colored images of the Divines were empty.

"Can you even hear me?"

Her voice bounced off the walls, coming back faintly to her. _Hear me, hear me, hear me…_

For a moment, she cast her gaze down. Then, her eyes lit back up and she jerked her head up to stare directly into Akatosh's eyes, letting her hand fall from the alter.

"Are you even listening?! Maybe you don't have a plan for me. My fate doesn't rest in your hands anymore. The Nine have no time for those who are beaten, bruised of heart, and cast out, but maybe…" her heart beat faster "…maybe there is a god who does."

With those last words she turned on her heels and fled the chapel.

**XXXXXXXX**

_Sithis._

_Who is he?_

_I read about him_

_When I said his name my magic came to life._

_But is he even real?_

_Or was that luck?_

Arianna was lost in thought as she rode down the Gold Road. The horse cantered smoothly forward, and he followed the road. Two days had passed since she left Kvatch, and she could think of nothing else.

The horse had stuck with her, not leaving her side. If she went into an inn or a cave or some other place not accessible to him, he stood patiently outside, awaiting her return. She had decided to call him Bersenger; it was the name of one of the heroes in a book she had read. The name seemed to suit him, and he always responded to it when she called him that.

She was jolted forward as Bersenger suddenly stopped at the top of a hill, and she slipped back to the present. As she looked out beyond the hill, the land got lower and flatter. A few miles ahead she saw a city, grey walls contrasting with a blue sparkle a little further off.

Arianna narrowed her eyes and looked out. What was that blue shimmer? A mirage?

She jerked out her map and stared closely at it. She was reaching the edge of the land, which must mean…

She gasped. It was the sea! Never in her life had she seen such a large body of water, only read about it. And here it was now before her, more glorious than any book she had read could describe.

She pressed her heels into Bersenger's sides and he leapt forward, shifting his weight back into his haunches as he cantered down the hill. Arianna leaned back with him, so as not to upset his balance.

Riding was coming pretty easily to her. It was getting easier each time she got on, she had found her balance and learned that it was not a good idea to lean forward if she didn't want to go faster. Bersenger would step to the side if she pressed her knee into his shoulder, and would swing his body around, pivoting on his forehand if she pressed one calf against his belly.

It was all she knew at this point, and it was all she needed to know. She was falling off less and less, and if they were running on flat land, she could let go of his mane and let her hands hang at her sides.

As they approached the Anvil gate, Arianna slowed Bersenger and slid off his side.

_A lot better than my arrival to Kvatch. _She thought.

As she lead Bersenger to the stables next to the gate, people stopped and stared at them, more so than when she crash-landed at Kvatch. She looked back at Bersenger. He had filled out considerably in the past two days. They had stopped at farms and orchards where she had filled her bag with produce and Bersenger ate and ate and ate for what seemed like hours. His ribs still showed, but he was almost completely better. He was a very beautiful horse, heavily muscled and glossy, if brushed.

Arianna held the gate open for Bersenger, and he walked right into the paddock, snorting back at her before dropping his head to forage for food.

The stable hand walked over to Arianna, staring at Bersenger the whole time.

"That's going to be 10 gold pieces to board here." He said, finally taking his eyes off Bersenger.

Arianna dug out the gold from her bag and put it in his hand. As she walked towards the gate, she passed by the fence and Bersenger came up to her. She touched his face, whispering, "I won't be long, maybe half a day."

He tugged at her bag with his teeth. Her face twisted in thought for a moment. She didn't need it, and it would get in the way. She wished she had somewhere safe to put it where she could be sure no one would go through it.

Bersenger tugged it upwards.

Arianna thought a moment. "Bersenger? Can you guard my bag?"

He jerked it up over her head, and she allowed him to pull it off completely. He carried it over to a corner near the wall and stood over it.

She smiled. "Thanks." And she turned to the gate.

**XXXXXXXXX**

The inside of the walls of Anvil looked even more different from Skingrad, and very, very different from Kvatch. It was a lovely city, except for the few abandoned buildings which marred its beauty. Most of the buildings were low-lying and spread out, she guessed to protect it from storms that blew in off the sea.

It wasn't hard to find the tavern, the streets were very open and she could see the sign saying "The Count's Arms" swinging in the wind from across the town. As she entered the inn, a jumble of voices greeted her. There were many people packed into this tavern, it almost looked like the whole population of Anvil was meeting in here for a drink!

Arianna pushed her way through the mass towards the bar. She was almost to the bar when…

She stumbled as a woman ran into her.

"Hey!" shouted the woman at her. ""You ran into me!"

"No, you were the one who ran into me." Arianna said

"I want an apology! Now!" the woman said angrily, shoving a finger at Arianna's face.

"Why should I apologize for something I didn't do?" Arianna spat. Oh, it was great to be free. She could actually say stuff like this.

The woman pushed her sleeves up. "Okay, you're asking for it."

The crowd had begun to move away a little bit, forming a circle around them. Arianna's eyes darted around. The crowd was too thick, she couldn't fight through.

_No, I'm done running. I'll fight._

Arianna stared the woman right in the eyes and dropped into a fighting stance. She would have drawn her sword, but she didn't want to kill the woman in front of all these people.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" the crowd chanted. Arianna heard the bartender's voice lost somewhere in the noise, protesting.

The woman let out a yell and swung a fist at Arianna. Arianna ducked it easily.

_How ladylike the women in Anvil are. _She thought.

Several more times the woman swung at her, Arianna dodging and ducking each attempt easily. It was like fighting an ogre, the woman was big and slow and easy to avoid.

As the woman swung at her again, Arianna jumped forward, avoiding her fist, and slammed her shoulder into the woman. She heard the _whoosh _as she knocked the wind out of the woman. Even though Arianna was medium height and short compared to this brutish woman, she was strong from working in Berwick's house.

She gasped as she recalled his name. She had almost forgotten why it was she came here.

In the short moment that Arianna hesitated, the woman swung again, catching Arianna in the side of the face.

Arianna stumbled backwards to the edge of the circle, her face throbbing. The people behind caught her and hurled her back into the middle.

The woman smirked and came for Arianna again.

Arianna touched her face gingerly. She could hear the blood roaring in her ears. She was dazed for a moment.

That's when she really became agitated.

As the woman barreled towards her, she raised her foot in the air and kicked the woman in the stomach, send her flying backwards. Before the woman could fall back completely, Arianna was on her, angrily throwing punches at the woman's face. The woman managed to shield her face from most of the blows before she threw Arianna off.

Arianna stood at the edge of the circle, eyes narrowed, daring the woman to come closer. As the woman scrambled up, her arm flew out and yanked a sword from the belt of one of the bystanders.

"Hey!" he cried, but the woman was already lunging at Arianna with it.

"So it's going to be swords then is it?" snarled Arianna

Arianna raised her hands as the woman's sword was pointed at her throat."You can give up now." Smirked the woman, sure of her victory.

Arianna smiled and coolly said, "I don't think so." And with one swift motion she knocked the woman's sword out of her hand with her forearm.

As the woman fell back, surprised at how she did that without getting hurt, Arianna pulled out her own sword. The woman cowered as Arianna pointed it at her throat.

"You're… that didn't…. hurt you…" she stammered

"Generally actions like that don't hurt when you're wearing armor." Arianna said, using her free hand to pull back her sleeve, revealing the Mithril underneath.

The woman started to babble incoherently. Apparently she wasn't used to defeat.

Arianna heard guard's voices outside coming closer.

"As much fun as this was, I have to run." Said Arianna, sheathing her sword before throwing herself into the crowd, pushing with all her might towards the open window. Most people saw her coming and got out of the way. Just as two guards burst in through the door, Arianna swung herself out and onto the street.

She took off at a run and headed for the west gate which let out onto the dock, bolting past the guards, who just stared in surprise.

Outside on the dock was a crowd of sailors. It smelled salty, and she looked outwards. She gasped in awe as she stared out at the sea, sparkling in the sunlight, gently lapping at the beams that held the dock up. She sun had just begun to set, casting a brilliant glow over the water.

She shook her head, clearing her mind. She would enjoy the scenery _after_ the job was done.

Thinking about it made her insides jump. Excitement built up in her chest, and she smiled a dark smile.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she glimpsed something out of the corner of her eye. As she turned her head quickly, she saw a dark figure standing out among the crowd of sailors, but it disappeared before she could look any closer.

She blinked and rubbed her eyes, looking back at the spot where it had been. Still nothing.

_It was probably nothing, just an illusion. _She thought. But she was still a little unsettled. She felt like she was being watched.

She slipped into the crowd of big, smelly sailors and made her way down the dock.

Suddenly she stopped. She heard a familiar voice. She turned towards the sound of it to see…

There he was, the foul swine, standing, talking to one of the sailors. Arianna could've struck him down right there on the spot, slit his throat and watched his blood spill out on the wood and into the water. Her hand reached for her sword…

She pulled her hand back from the hilt. It was all she could do to keep from killing him now. She must wait. He would suffer later.

"Our ship is sailing to Hammerfell. I dunno if we can take passengers…" the sailor told Berwick

"I'll work as a crewman. I can handle myself. I just need to get outta Cyrodiil" Berwick said in a low voice.

Arianna moved closer, just a little, so that she could hear them better.

"Ohh, avoiding the law are we?" laughed the sailor

"Let's say what I did was barely Illegal."

Arianna's blood boiled. 'Almost legal?' Even if Kitty's contract to him made her pretty much his slave, it was still illegal to kill her.

"Sure, the captain won't mind ya. We get people like ya all the time." The sailor said. "Get yer stuff on board. I'll take you to yer room. Make sure yer on the ship by nightfall, that's when we set sail."

Nightfall. He would be on board, probably alone. He didn't know anything about sailing, so while he was down in his room, everyone else would be on deck.

Arianna slipped to the other side of the ship, out of view from everyone else and gathered her magic up again. This time, the invisibility spell did not take long to cast, since she had discovered how to do it, and she shimmered out of sight in very little time. As she opened her palm above her head, the slight green shimmer fell down her like a curtain, making her vanish from view.

It was slightly disorienting, feeling her feet touch the ground and the robe swishing noiselessly around her ankles but not seeing them. She almost fell over once as she made her way back around the ship, so she kept her eyes up and straight ahead, locked on the back of Berwick, who picked up his sack and clomped up the ramp after the sailor.

The deck of the ship was crowded with large, smelly sailors, loading cargo and hauling ropes. It was hard not to run into one of them, and Arianna was always dodging and weaving. If she touched one of them, the spell would become harder to hold, potentially forcing her back into view.

She had discovered that during her travels. If she touched a living being, the magic would escape her through that physical contact and drain her magic reserve faster. It wasn't as bad with animals, but with people it only took a few short seconds before she felt her magic reserve drop so low that it started to drain on her energy. At that point she was forced to dispel, if it hadn't dispelled on its own. She did not know, but did not want to find out what happened when she ran out of magic.

Arianna slipped around the cabin door and followed the two men down the ladder into the hull. It smelled like fish and sweat, and she made a face as she moved through the nearly-empty hold. Finally, they reached the very end and went through a small door at the back of the ship.

"You'll be staying here. I'm guessin' you've never been on a ship, so ya wouldn't be much help up top. Just stay here and you'll be fine. Now, about that gold…?"

"Right."Berwick reached into his sack and pulled out a smaller, bulging sack and dropped it into the sailors outstretched hand.

Arianna slipped around the doorframe and into the room as the sailor shut the door. The room was cramped, barrels and crates stacked high. There was one circular window on each of the port and starboard sides. Perfect for hiding out.

Arianna watched as Berwick threw his stuff down and settled on one of the crates.

She was so close… She only had to drive her sword through his body…

_No. Someone will certainly hear. I'll wait until the ship is away from the dock so that guards can't reach us._

She sat down behind a crate and waited.

_At least I'll have time to plan this out. He will suffer._

_____

**Cliffhanger!!! I'm sorry!! I had to stop, this is now 12 pages long!!**

**So yeah, some of this does seem very… unrealistic… but just bear with me. I'm doing my best here.**

**Next chapter. I promise.**

**Please review!! If there are any mistakes, please let me know of them so they can be fixed!**


	6. Chapter 5: Murder

"_So tell me, who is she exactly?"_

"_A girl from Skingrad. She was formerly a servant to a cruel master. It seems that he was the one who caused her to snap."_

"_Snap?"_

"_She has lived a fairly eventless life. At least, up until, he murdered her friend. She is now heading west to find him."_

"_So she has not yet killed?"_

"_Not yet, but I am fairly certain she will. Why else would the Night Mother have taken an interest in her, even if it is but a slight one? I have been keeping an eye on her for the past few days, and though she is an amateur now, I think she has the potential to be great."_

_A long pause._

"_I trust your judgment my friend, but do you really think this is worth it? I mean, are you sure you are not just wasting valuable time?"_

"_Surely you do not doubt me Vicente?"_

"_But how can you be sure? You have always been right, but in these troubled times, it may be a risk we cannot afford to take."_

_Another pause._

"_Whatever happens now, it is in the hands of Sithis, although he seems to have already granted her his dark blessing. Meanwhile, I will continue to follow her. I believe she plans on making her move tonight." _

_Vicente opened his mouth to respond, but Lucien had already vanished._

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

The interior of the ship was growing darker by the minute as the sun sank low on the horizon. Berwick could see the moons revealing themselves in the sky as the stars shimmered around them. The ship had just set out, and they were about 300 yards away from the dock.

He turned away from the small window and leaned back against a crate. The journey was going to be a long, boring one, but he didn't have much choice at this point. He needed to hide for a while, and he had connections in Hammerfell.

He grinned as he bit into an apple. He didn't regret what he had done; he would have done it again. The girl had resisted him. He told her not to or he wouldn't hesitate to kill. He had to silence her screams somehow.

"No one disobeys me and escapes alive." He laughed

"You seem so sure of yourself." A female voice responded from the shadows next to the door.

He jumped up at the sound of it. _How had she gotten into the room? The door had not opened once the whole time he was there, and no one had followed him in._

"Who's there?!" he growled, readying himself for a fight.

"You should know me. I've worked for you for the past 15 years of my life."

He whirled. The voice came from the shadows to his left. He heard the woman, but he couldn't see her.

"Oh come now, surely you haven't forgotten me? You've forgotten your own maidservant? You've forgotten…"

Suddenly the voice was behind him. "… how that girl you killed was my only friend?"

He whirled and a robed figure shimmered into view. Her hood covered her face.

"How'd you get in here?" he stammered, backing up towards the opposite wall.

She lifted the hood back from her face, brushing her long hair out of her face. It took him a moment to realize who she was.

He gasped. "You?! But you're…" he laughed. The idiot girl thought she could kill him!

His laugh faded as she melted back into the shadows, completely disappearing from view. Maybe he had underestimated her…

"Come out in the open and fight if that's what ya want." He growled. He was surprised to find though, his voice and legs were shaking.

"Alright then." Arianna came back into view next to the window.

He yelled and barreled towards her. He would crush every bone in her body if he had to.

She easily dodged him and something flashed, catching the dim light. When he regained his balance, she was on the opposite side if the room. He felt a sharp pain in his side and looked down. Blood flowed out of a new gash in his side. He jerked his head back up, and saw that she held a sword in her hand.

He was growing more fearful by the second. He _had_ underestimated her. He wasn't able to touch her, and she could make herself completely invisible. His strength was much greater than hers, though that amounted to nothing if she could dodge him.

Arianna stepped towards him, swords pointing down. He jerked his body up suddenly, and once again barreled towards her. His fists were raised. Sword or no sword, she stood no chance against him, she had nowhere to run…

He stopped dead in his tracks. She had stepped slightly to his right, their shoulders almost touching. She stared straight ahead, over his shoulder, not even bothering to look at what she had done. Her blade stuck through his body, piercing between his ribs.

Berwick choked, a small stream of blood running from his mouth. He started to fall back, taking a last swing at her. She ducked it easily, and in doing so, twisted the blade. He howled in pain, blood splattering his torso.

Arianna watched him falling back, eyes narrowed. As the man who had destroyed her past life lay bleeding out on the floor, Arianna felt nothing. No pleasure at seeing him dying, no remorse for what she had done. Her heart was icy, her mind calm and cool.

Suddenly there was a bang on the door and a muffled voice; "What's going on in there? Open up!"

Arianna jumped. She couldn't take on several sailors at once, even if she could turn invisible. Her eyes darted around the room.

_BANG_

They were trying to break down the door. Arianna searched desperately for something, anything. She reached down to take her blade, but at that moment the door flew open. She looked up and saw three sailors, all staring in shock at the scene before them.

Arianna turned on her heels, and leapt through the small window without thinking twice. By the time one of them had cried out, she had fallen into the water and was swimming for the shore, away from the dock.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

It was dawn the next day before Arianna made her way back to the stables. The people on the shore had heard the shouting on the ship, and guards went out in rowboats. But when they got there, Arianna was long gone, out of the water and running around the other unguarded side of Anvil.

Bersenger stood waiting for her at the fence, her bag held in his teeth. Arianna jumped onto the fence and vaulted onto Bersenger's back, gently pulling her bag out of his teeth. She turned Bersenger around to leave through the gate. The stable hand got up to hold it open for her, and as she was passing through, he cleared his throat.

"Your horse guarded your bag the whole time and he seems to understand speech pretty well. How did you train him to do that? I've been trying to do that with some of the horses here, but they just can't pick it up."

Arianna glanced at Bersenger. "Don't all horses do that?"

The stable hand raised an eyebrow. "Not Cyrodiillic horses."

Bersenger turned his head back, looking at Arianna. Arianna smiled. "I guess you're not all you seem to be then." She chuckled darkly before Bersenger leapt forward and plunged into the outer darkness, leaving the stable hand staring after them.

**_________________________**

**A/N: Well, it finally happened. Now Arianna gets to go on with her life. ;)**

**Wow, I made it seem like Lucien's stalking her. I guess he is though. Stalking her in a non-stalker-ish way… I guess. Yeah.**

**Please write a review, I need those to survive. ;) Or at least to continue writing. **


	7. Chapter 6: The Shadow

**Ok, I'm changing this chapter up a little. The end was so frikkin cheesy that it made me literally rotfl.**

**It's basically the same, just a few changes. You don't have to read it again if you have already done so, just skip to the next chapter.**

**________________________________**

_THA-thump THA-thump THA-thump_

_Every heartbeat sounded like distant thunder to his almost unhumanly sharp senses_

_He could hear it faintly_

_He could feel her fear_

_She was awake_

_She was frightened_

_And if she knew he was there, she had every reason to be_

_Was it possible that she was expecting him?_

xxxxxxx

Arianna's eyes flew open as she felt a chill go down her spine. She had been trying to fall asleep for several hours, but something was not letting her. She was tired, but all of her senses were on alert. Something wasn't right…

Darkness blanketed her, and the only light that shone was a patch of moonlight that shone down through the window. She had her back turned to it and she faced the wall. She wanted to move but she dared not. Like a child afraid of the monster in the corner, she dared turn to see the danger that hovered nearby. Her heart hammered even harder in her chest.

Someone was there. She sensed it, felt a chilling presence. Almost as if Death itself stood in the corner, waiting for her to move and break the spell.

Finally, gathering her courage, she willed herself to move. She eased her hand underneath her pillow, careful not to disturb the silence, and slowly eased her fingers up until she felt the cold metal of her dagger…

She froze instantly in terror when she heard a sound.

A deep, harsh chuckle. So mysteriously quiet and cruel, she thought for a fleeting second that Death truly had come to claim her.

She was frozen, paralyzed. She had never in her life been so truly frightened.

Then a soft deep voice spoke; _"You should know, Arianna, that it takes more than steel to kill a shadow."_

The words were so clearly spoken, yet so low and soft, like the wind as it whispers through the tall grass, but so cruel and full of darkness that she could almost see the blood on his hands. It was strangely and eerily beautiful to listen to, it caused a mixture of emotion inside of her; raw terror and much to her surprise, comfort.

She felt as if she should respond, but no words came. She shut her lips and remained silent, waiting for him to speak. She wanted to hear it again, but she wished it would go away.

_I'm going to die_

She heard the voice again, but this time it was a little louder, a little closer, a little more deadly.

"Do not assume I have come to kill you; I have not. Though you are right to be afraid."

Once again, she kept her silence.

"So it is silence you prefer then? As do I, Sister, as do I. For is silence not the orchestration of death, the symphony of Sithis himself?"

_Sithis…_

"I come now with an invitation of a sort. I have been watching you for quite some time now Arianna, and I have seen you kill. You have blood on your hands. The Night Mother is impressed by your work."

Arianna could feel him coming closer, though she could not hear him. His feet did not brush against the wood or make the planks creak.

"We have been searching for individuals such as yourself. Our family. The Brotherhood always has room for the oppressed, the friendless, the…" he paused "…restless. Murderers, in essence." He purred.

Arianna was frozen as she felt him draw nearer, and she almost jumped when she heard him speak again. This time, his voice was close to her ear, whispering smoothly but forcefully.

"Join us, Arianna. Be one of us. Become one with the shadow, like us. Serve the darkness under my command."

Arianna turned her head suddenly, expecting the first thing she would see to be a glinting pair of eyes, the ones whose gaze she felt on her back…

But there was no one there.

She sat up, bringing her legs underneath her and sitting up on her knees. The room was still and dark. She could see nothing but the patch of pale moonlight. But he wasn't gone, she knew it. She still felt the icy presence.

She opened her mouth, willing her voice to come, and after what seemed like forever, it came. "What must I do?"

She took in her breath sharply but didn't shrink back when he suddenly appeared in the rays of light. She couldn't see his entire face, only his mouth. He was robed entirely in black with a silver sword gleaming at his hip in the pale light.

She saw his mouth twist into a smile. "On the Green Road south of the Imperial City lies an inn called, "The Inn of Ill Omen". There you will find an old man named Rufio. Kill him. I will find and approach you once again and give you further instruction, completing your initiation into the Dark Brotherhood. Now sleep, for I must leave and you have a long journey ahead of you."

Arianna settled back down, willing to obey, her eyes focused on him all the time. As she laid back down he bent down and placed a dagger on the floor. She closed her eyes, and saw him melt back into the shadows, his chilling presence melting back to the warmth of the inn.


	8. Chapter 7: Family

**Sorry for making y'all wait again, I really have been busy. I'm preparing to go to my first rodeo in May (I barrel race) and I've been spending hours each day with my horse, and then doing my schoolwork.**

**Not that you're supposed to care about that. ;)**

**I feel like I really don't need to introduce a lot of these characters, and would just waste a lot of time if I did that. All of you know who they are if you are reading this. Though I might alter personalities a little, so be prepared for that.**

**Quick note: the next parts of the story may be a little fast-paced or skip some. I don't know if I'm going to be able to write about every contract. I'm also just very anxious to get to the end; I have written out about 20 different endings for this story and just recently decided on my favorite.**

**Again, if you have any suggestions for improvements, please leave a review telling me. I can never improve if I don't know what's wrong!! ;)**

**__________________________________**

"One garlic clove, two garlic cloves, three garlic cloves, twenty-three garlic cloves…"

"Antoinetta, honestly, what do you have against Vicente?" laughed Arianna

"I think she just has some weird obsession with him." Telaendril snorted "And repelling him."

Antoinetta whirled on her heels, brandishing her wooden spoon. "Don't make fun of me! Seriously, he's weird!"

"He's a vampire you idiot." Hissed Teinaava. "Of course he's weird."

Antoinetta turned back to the stew. "I don't trust him. I think the Brotherhood would be better off without him. Vampires are dangerous, they can turn on you and rip your head off before you realize it."

Arianna raised an eyebrow. "Well, of course you wouldn't realize it; you'd be dead."

Gogron banged the table with his fist and went into snorting fits of laughter.

"Idiot. It wasn't _that_ funny." Growled M'raaj-Dar.

M'raaj-Dar seemed to be the only one out of all the Cheydinhal sanctuary members that hated Arianna. The others had completely embraced her as one of them from the moment she first set foot in there, especially Antoinetta. It was almost as if she'd been there all her life.

Meeting Vicente was the only challenge. She was introduced to him last, when Ocheeva took her down to his room. One glance at him, and Arianna had tried to run, but Ocheeva had anticipated her reaction and dragged her back, explaining that Vicente was completely safe. When Arianna finally found her feet and walked back to his room, he stood at the door, laughing at her.

"Do not let my appearance unnerve you, I would never harm you Sister." He grinned

It was hard to believe that coming from behind those unnaturally long, sharp canines, but it wasn't long before Arianna became more at ease around him. She had only been there a week, and was already accustomed to conversing freely with the vampire. If she just didn't think too much about where his next meal would come from, she was fine.

Arianna stood up and started to clean up the mess that breakfast had left, putting the uneaten food in the cabinet and taking the dishes to the washtub in the corner.

"Ari, you're not our maid." Telaendril said as she watched Arianna clean

"No, no Telaendril, if she wants to clean up my mess, let the girl clean my mess." Gogron said

Telaendril shot him a dirty glance. "Really Ari, just because you're new doesn't mean that you have to do the cleaning."

Arianna paused for a moment, replaying those word over in her mind for a moment before turning back to them, grinning. "Sorry. Force of habit."

"Yeah, and anyway, if you did the maid work than Antoinetta would be completely useless around here." Gogron laughed, right before a flying spoon hit him in the face.

Right as the situation descended to the level of complete chaos, Vicente came up behind Arianna and laid his hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump and spin around in surprise.

"Sorry to startle you, I must speak to you in my quarters." Vicente then looked over at Antoinetta and Gorgon, who were coming dangerously close to becoming a wrestling match. He raised an eyebrow, and spoke above the racket "I assume you have done your usual duties and have time to waste in this manner?"

They stopped, surprised to see him.

"Sorry." Muttered Antoinetta and Gogron backing away from each other and shooting glares at each other.

Vicente turned on his heels and strode out of the room, Arianna on his heels, having to take about twice the amount of steps as he in order to keep up with his long strides.

"Have I done something wrong?" she asked as soon as they were out in the main room.

"Not at all. I just think you are ready for your first contract. Unless you counted your initiating contract your first."

Killing Rufio had been very easy. So easy it was almost unsporting. She was about to just kill him in his sleep, but then decided to mess with his head a little before he perished at her hands. It did not take much to scare him, she only had to mention Sithis' name before he leapt up and ran, only to fall dead in the doorway as she bounded forward and plunged the dagger that Lucien had given her into his back.

Lucien had later visited her in the forest at night, as she was setting up an encampment, but he did not stay as long as he had before. He just appeared before her as undetectable as before, handing her a piece of paper saying, "Your initiation is complete. You have pleased the Night Mother. Follow this map to the sanctuary. When you reach the main door, you will be asked a question. Your response is 'Sanguine, my brother'." And just before melting back into shadow, he said "Welcome to the family, dear Sister." And as she raised her eyes from glancing at the paper, he had disappeared again.

"Close the door behind you." Vicente said

Arianna did as he told her and stood against the wall quietly as he shuffled through the parchments on his desk. He finally pulled a folded piece of parchment out of the bunch and handed it to her.

"You may read it now or once you leave the sanctuary, but I must explain the guidelines you must follow as you carry out this order." Vicente said "They are fairly basic, but are of the essence."

Arianna nodded.

"Or course you will follow the Five Tenets, as you would at all other times. Also, you will get a bonus in gold for a job well done. You may not kill any people not listed in the contract, except on the condition that your life or the life of another Brotherhood member is endangered. The orders given in the contracts must be followed as closely as possible, as that is how the Night Mother has told them."

"I will do my best." Said Arianna

Vicente strode over to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure you will. Now go, your victim awaits."

Arianna hurriedly ran back up through the main hall, anxious to leave. Antoinetta met her and almost ran into her.

"Where you going Ari?"

"Vicente gave me my first contract, I want to get started as soon as possible!" Arianna grinned and continued towards the door."

"You're not wearing armor?"

Arianna turned and pulled back her black sleeve, revealing the Shrouded armor.

"Ohhh... smart girl." Laughed Antoinetta. "Luck be with you!" she called as Arianna spun back around

"Thanks!" Arianna called over her shoulder. "So far, it has been."

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**Yay! :D**

**I decided to make this one a bit more light-hearted than the past few. They were kind of dark (appropriately enough, I guess.)**

**Next chapter will be soon. I promise.**

**Oh, and I redid the ending of the last chapter, so please read that. :) Although it's really not necessary.**


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